Clothes-line



(No Model.) G. A. WHITTON.

CLOTHES LINE.

Patented Jan. 31, 1,893..

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. WHIT'IION, OF -BOGARD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. HUNTER VILLIAMS, OF MCFALL, MISSOURI.

CLOTHES-LINE.

SISECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,032, dated J' anuary 31, 1893. Application filed April 7, 1892. Serial No. 428,159. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. WHITTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bogard, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Line, of which the followingis aspeciication.

The invention relates to improvements in endless clothes lines.

The object of the present invention is to enable endless clothes lines to be readily operated and to be maintained at the desired tension to regulate them to the condition of the weather.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a clothes line constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of the tension device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the link piece.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

designates an endless clothes line arranged on a main or drive pulley 2 arranged at one end, and a guide pulley 3. The main pulley 2 is mounted on a journal 4 of a slide 5, and is provided with a crank handle 6 by means of which the main pulley is rotated to move the line and bring diierent portions of the same within reach of the operator. The slide is provided in opposite sides with grooves 7 to receive longitudinally disposed ribs 8 of the casing 9 in which the slide is adapted to move to increase or diminish the tension on the rope of the clothes line, and it fits snugly between the sides of the casing and the grooves are located in the side edges and disposed longitudinally of the slide. The casing 9 is integral, is constructed of suitable metal and is composed of parallel sides 10 having the said ribs 8 on their inner faces, and a bottom plate 11 having an opening conforming to the configuration of the sides. The bottom plate is suitably secured to a support as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The tension of the rope of the clothes line is controlled by a windlass 12 composed of a drum 13 around which a rope 14.- is wound, and a shaft 15 preferably cast integral with the drum and journaled in open bearing recesses 16 of the casing. A crank handle 17 is arranged at the outer end of the shaft 15, and the rope 14 has one end secured to an eye upon the inner face of the slide, and its other end attached to the drum, and by turning the crank handle 17 the slide is drawn toward the drum, thereby tightening the clothes line and by moving the crank handle 17 in the opposite direction the rope is released. The ribs do not extend the entire length of the sides 10, but terminate short of one end of the opening sufficient space being left between them and the end of the opening between the sides to allow the slide to be disengaged from the ribs and removed from the casing. The windlass is held against retrograde rotation and is prevented from unwinding by the tension of the line, by pawl 18 pivotally mounted on the casing and a ratchet wheel 19 preferably cast integral with the shaft 15, and arranged to be engaged by the pawl. The guide-pulley 3 is journaled in an L-shaped bracket plate 20 which is secured to a post or other suitable support.

The clothes line is designed to be arranged as shown in the drawings; the upper portion of the line is designed to hold the c1othespins, and the lower portion is arranged for receiving the clothes to be dried. By this arrangement in. rotating the line for hanging out clothes, the clothes pins are successively brought within easy reach of the operator; and in taking in the clothes, the clothes pins as they are removed may be readily placed on the upper portion.' This upper portion forms a convenient place for holding the clothes pins when not in use.

When the line is hung with clothes its upper and lower portions are connected by a link piece 21 which is provided at its ends with hooks 22 to engage the upper and ,lower portions of the line. The link piece is arranged adjacent to the drive wheel; it'prevents the line being moved by the clothes should the line be arranged in an inclined position; and

IOC

I from the drive Wheel.

What I claim is- In an endless clothes line, a tension device comprising an integral casing having open bearing recesses at its outer end and composed of sides provided on their inner faces With oppositely disposed longitudinal ribs, and forming a longitudinal opening and having the said ribs terminating short of one end of the opening and a base-plate adapted to be secured to a suitable support,aslide arranged Within the casing and fitting snugly between the sides thereof and having longitudinal grooves in its side edges to receive the ribs and provided With an outwardly extending journal and having onv its inner face an eye, said slide being adapted to be moved at one end of the opening beyond the ends of the ribs and thereby disengage from the latter, the main pulley mounted on the journal and having a crank-handle, a Windlass journaled in the bearing recesses and carrying a ratchet Wheel, a paWl pivotally mounted on the casing and engaging the ratchet Wheel, and a rope having one end Wound around the Windlass and having its other end secured to the eye of the slide, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. WHITTON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES LEIGHTLE, M. SHIRLEY. 

